(UPDATED) Officials: Gasoline caused mystery odor in Skippack homes

Officials conduct an investigation into an odor that caused a voluntary evacuation of some homes in Skippack, Pa. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

SKIPPACK — Gasoline-tainted groundwater caused the mysterious smell that led to a voluntary evacuation of more than 150 homes in the township, authorities said Monday.

The noxious odor primarily affected three townhouses after contaminated water got into the sump pumps, officials said. Firefighters were flushing those pumps with fresh water and airing out the homes with fans on Monday evening.

“We’re relieved and hopeful that what they’re doing will fix it,” said resident Kourtnay Loughin, who called 911 about the “very, very unpleasant” smell on Sunday evening.

Officials don’t know how the gas got into the groundwater, but Fire Chief Haydn Marriott said residents’ health was not in danger. He also noted the substance was found in a system with sealed pipes, creating little chance of contamination to the surrounding area’s water supply.

Advertisement

Firefighters and environmental officials used sensors Sunday night to try to identify the problem. Residents of more than 150 townhouses were asked to leave after chemical odors were detected at several units.

Metered equipment originally indicated the presence of hydrogen cyanide, a poisonous gas, in the homes, but officials later said those readings were false positives. No signs of illness were reported.

By Monday morning, Marriott said authorities had determined sump pumps as the source of the smell, but could not identify its composition. As labs began analyzing samples, officials retested some houses and allowed owners to return after finding no danger.

Loughin’s unit and the two next door registered high levels of the chemical odor.

“It’s more of an annoyance than anything,” Marriott said.

Readings in 25 other units Monday found “negligible” levels of chemicals, likely attributable to common household items, he said. The rest of the townhomes had no detectable chemical compounds.

Marriott said his department spoke to the water authority several times Sunday. “They assured us that there was no problem with the water, that they were going to take care of the testing on their end,” he said.

Officials plan to monitor the affected homes in the coming days.

By Staff and Wire Reports

(Updated at 5:03 p.m.) SKIPPACK — Authorities say gasoline-tainted groundwater caused the mysterious smell that led to a voluntary evacuation of about 150 homes in the borough.

Officials say the contaminated water got into the sump pumps of the townhouses in Skippack and caused a noxious odor.

Residents first reported the smell on Sunday evening. Officials detected a chemical odor in several homes and recommended residents leave until the substance and source could be identified.

Samples analyzed by labs on Monday indicated the compound was gasoline. But Fire Chief Haydn Marriott says officials still don’t know how the gas got into the groundwater.

Residents were being allowed back into their houses on Monday. Officials say they plan to monitor affected homes in the coming days.

— By Kathy Matheson

EARLIER VERSION OF THIS STORY

(Updated at 4:07 p.m.) SKIPPACK (AP) — Residents of about 150 homes in suburban Philadelphia began returning to their neighborhood Monday after a mysterious odor prompted a voluntary evacuation.

Environmental officials are awaiting lab results to identify the substance responsible for Sunday evening’s problem in Skippack. Authorities said the smell originated in basement sump pumps, but they have not been able to pinpoint the cause or composition of the chemical odor.

Fire Chief Haydn Marriott told reporters Monday that there were “absolutely, positively no signs of illness.” Some people went to hospitals Sunday night to be checked out as a precaution.

An emergency shelter was set up at an elementary school, and the Red Cross said 12 people from four families were put up for the night.

Air and water samples have been sent to four laboratories in an effort to detect the compound, which officials only know is “some kind of hydrocarbon,” Marriott said. He hoped to get results back early this week.

“The highest readings are in the sump pump pits, and we’re only getting the readings in the pits that have water in them,” Marriott said. “It is very apparent that it’s traveling somehow in that system with the water, but it’s hard to tell how and why at this point.”

He noted the substance was found in a system with sealed pipes creating little chance of contamination to the surrounding area’s water supply.

“We did speak to the water authority several times yesterday,” said Marriott. “They assured us that there was no problem with the water, that they were going to take care of the testing on their end.”

Sensors originally indicated the presence of hydrogen cyanide, a poisonous gas, in the homes, but officials later said they believe those readings were false positives.

Authorities had tested about half of the homes by noontime Monday and said they were safe for residents to return with little or no evidence of contamination.

Kourtnay Loughin said she was home Sunday night when she noticed a “very, very unpleasant” odor and called 911, waiting outside with her husband and three children. She said they have lived in the townhouse development for 10 years and never had a problem with sump pumps.

“It’s still really bad in our house,” she said of the odor late Monday morning. Her home had not yet been cleared for her family to return, she said.

Early Monday afternoon, officials began investigating a retention basin behind Loughin’s house. The basin has occasionally flooded into her home during storms, Loughin said, but never accompanied by a noxious odor.

George Berry’s home across the street had been cleared, but he and his wife planned to keep their children with relatives until the evening.

“We’re still a little nervous,” said Berry, who said they smelled nothing before officials took a reading in their home Sunday evening and advised them to leave. “We kind of want to see what that next test is.”

— By Kathy Matheson

(Updated at 12:51 p.m.) SKIPPACK — More than 100 residents who were displaced from their homes on North Gorski Lane and surrounding streets after an odor of gas fumes was detected Sunday night were allowed to return to their residences Monday morning as Montgomery County authorities continued to investigate the source.

Around 5:45 p.m. Sunday, Skippack Fire Company responded to a call for an odor of gas fumes in an end unit in the 4200 block of North Gorski Lane in Skippack, Skippack Fire Chief Haydn Marriott said. Intial meter readings found high levels of hydrogen cyanide in that home, as well as numerous other residences in the attached-home development. However, Marriott said the HCN was most likely masking another chemical, which is the true source of the smell.

The levels of VOC found in the North Gorski Lane homes were not deadly, “but are high enough to cause concern,” Marriott said Sunday night. No one has suffered illness or shown symptoms of being sickened by the gas, but the residents who reported the gas odor were encouraged to go to the hospital as a precaution, Marriott said.

Utility companies serving the neighborhood responded to scene; although the odor did not seem to be caused by any utilities, according to Marriott.

Skippack Elementary School had been set up as a shelter to accommodate those displaced by the fumes.

Township officials and the Red Cross were assisting any displaced residents who arrived at the temporary shelter at Skippack Elementary School on Heckler Road, according to Marriott.

— By Ann Cornell

EARLIER VERSION OF THIS STORY

(Updated at 11:33 a.m.) SKIPPACK (AP) — Authorities are awaiting lab results on a mysterious smell that led to a voluntary evacuation of about 150 homes in the borough Sunday evening.

Officials are asking Skippack residents to allow their homes to be tested for the chemical odor before they can return.

Problems arose Sunday evening after a resident reported a strong odor. Subsequent testing of that home and several others led officials to identify basement sump pumps as the source.

But the composition of the noxious smell isn’t clear. Fire Chief Haydn Marriott says samples have been sent to several labs for analysis. He says results are expected later Monday.

Officials have scheduled a news conference for 11:45 a.m.

EARLIER VERSION OF THIS STORY

SKIPPACK — More than 10 homes were evacuated on North Gorski Lane in Skippack on Sunday evening as a result of a reported gas leak.

County emergency personnel reported that Skippack Elementary School was being set up as a shelter to accommodate those families displaced by the leak.

As of 10 p.m. Sunday, the source of the odor was still under investigation. Township officials and the Red Cross were assisting any displaced residents who arrived at the temporary shelter at Skippack Elementary School on Heckler Road, according to Fire Chief Haydn Marriott.

Around 6:45 p.m. Sunday, the Skippack Fire Company responded to a call for an odor of gas fumes in an end unit in the 4200 block of North Gorski Lane in Skippack, Marriott said. Officials at the scene said about 100 people were evacuated as a result of the leak.

Firefighters found high readings of hydrogen cyanide in that home, as well as numerous other residences in the attached-home development. However, Marriott said the HCN is most likely masking another chemical, which is the true source of the smell.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, hydrogen cyanide is “a systemic chemical asphyxiant. It interferes with the normal use of oxygen by nearly every organ of the body. Exposure to hydrogen cyanide can be rapidly fatal. It has whole-body (systemic) effects, particularly affecting those organ systems most sensitive to low oxygen levels: the central nervous system (brain), the cardiovascular system (heart and blood vessels), and the pulmonary system (lungs). Hydrogen cyanide is a chemical warfare agent (military designation, AC). It is used commercially for fumigation, electroplating, mining, chemical synthesis, and the production of synthetic fibers, plastics, dyes, and pesticides. Hydrogen cyanide gas has a distinctive bitter almond odor (others describe a musty ‘old sneakers smell’), but a large proportion of people cannot detect it; the odor does not provide adequate warning of hazardous concentrations. It also has a bitter burning taste and is often used as a solution in water.”

The levels of hydrogen cyanide found in the North Gorski Lane homes are not deadly, “but are high enough to cause concern,” Marriott said.

Utility companies serving the neighborhood have responded to the scene; although it doesn’t appear to be caused by any utilities, according to Marriott. It seemed to be coming in through sump pumps, Marriott said.

No one has suffered illness or shown symptoms of being sickened by the gas.